


Bedknobs and Broomsticks

by Kingless



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, Awkward Flirting, Awkward!Taeyong, Blood, Blow Jobs, Fluff and Smut, Humor, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Violence, Werewolves, Witches, he's honestly doing his best, jaehyun is awkward too dont be fooled
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:20:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25176046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kingless/pseuds/Kingless
Summary: Taeyong isn’t a brave person. He prefers to keep to the beaten path, where he knows nothing will go wrong. Where it’s safe. However, on occasion, things do go wrong. Like on a dark and stormy night when he accidentally mistakes a man for a beast. Or maybe, he wasn’t mistaken at all.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 6
Kudos: 73





	1. One Stormy Night

**Author's Note:**

> Taeyong is soft, Jaehyun occupies my daydreams. This is what came out of that nonsense. I promise I'm not procrastinating... (spoiler alert, that's a lie)  
> Anyway, enjoy!

When it rains, Taeyong likes to walk to work. He gets excited when he sees the rain clouds rolling in just before his shift. He hops out of bed, where he’d spent the majority of his day, and scurries around to get ready for work. 

He gets to shove his feet into his blue rain boots, he gets to throw on a jacket over his knitted sweater with the too long sleeves. He packs a snack and the necessities in his backpack, grabs his umbrella and phone, and then leaves his apartment. His boots squeak in the hall outside his door, Taeyong enjoys the sound, already anticipating the puddles he’d run into on the way. 

Taeyong learned a long time ago that enjoying the little things, like a rainy day or warm bed, would get you through life. Because sometimes being alive is a hassle, and things you enjoy make it a little more bearable. 

So Taeyong smiles to himself when he steps out of his building onto the street to find the rain already falling in smatterings across the sidewalk. It wasn’t heavy yet, but the clouds were thick and angry overhead, it would be pouring by the time Taeyong got to work. So he shook his umbrella out and popped it open. It was dark blue, to match his rain boots, with small ducks imprinted along the edges in black ink. 

Taeyong headed off down the street. 

The place Taeyong worked, Wives’ Tales and Talismans, wasn’t far from his apartment. But Taeyong wanted to take his time, especially as the rain began to pick up. As he walked, he watched passing cars and giggled a bit as the people scurried for cover up the street. A little water never hurt anyone. Well...the Wicked Witch of the West may beg to differ, but a little water never hurt Taeyong. So he kept his pace leisurely. 

It was maybe three years ago that Taeyong made the big move to Arcadia, Maine. It was a small city with not much going on. At least, during the day. At night, however, the odd things that you found in story books came out. Which is why Taeyong was heading to a graveyard shift that was bound to be much more lively than an actual graveyard. 

Taeyong hadn’t followed any of his career plans, he hadn’t excelled in much in school either. He was almost considered a dud if he hadn’t passed the basic witchcraft courses. Either way, there was nothing all that remarkable about Taeyong. His classmates and family had made certain that much was true. 

So when he had the means he left home, moved here, and found a job at the tacky little shop just ahead of him. The rain was pouring now, nearly obscuring the sign over the double doors with the little silver bells on either side. Taeyong walked up the three steps to the doors, hiding beneath the awning overhead. He lowered his umbrella and shook it out before folding it up. He turned around, peering at the porch light illuminating the sign. The glow of it warm and gold. Not for long, however. Taeyong twirled his umbrella around, holding the tip up toward the light. It took a moment of focus, pointing his umbrella like a sword and squinting like a blind man. And with a blip of warmth in his chest the light flashed, changing colors until it glowed blue. Taeyong let go of a breath, feeling just a bit loose in the bones. He swung his umbrella down and opened the door to the shop. 

The light inside was as warm as the lantern had been, the whole place was warm and cozy. The smell familiar as well, all flowers and herbs. Taeyong scuffed his boots on the mat at the door, shaking his umbrella off a bit more. Before Taeyong could turn around there was the flurry of wings and then a weight settled heavily on his shoulder. Taeyong winced a bit at the talons peaking at him from the corner of his eye, 

“Hello Hwan” Taeyong said, carefully shifting his shoulder as he turned around. The shop was bigger on the inside than the outside. There were shelves and tables, rows of them flanking the wide carpet that lead to the front counter and the massive clock that sat dead center behind it. Above that, though, was a second level. Two sets of stairs curled around either side of the long counter, leading up to a banister that oversaw the counter and the entire store. On the second level was mostly stock and the more risque of product, dark magic, charms that weren’t necessarily morally good. The like. Taeyong didn’t like to spend a lot of time up there. 

“You’re early” a voice said, Taeyong paused about halfway to the front counter. The voice came from his left and when he glanced over he found his coworker pouring over a rather thick grimoire. 

“I got a head start today. But um, Sicheng, could you maybe…” Taeyong gestured to the massive raven sitting on his shoulder, Sicheng lifted his gaze from the book in his hands. 

“Hwan, leave Taeyong alone. Chin isn’t with him” Sicheng said, the raven rolled its neck before spreading its wings. The dismount was a little painful for Taeyong but ultimately satisfying. Without the weight of Hwan on one shoulder his spine could stand straight again. 

“How do you know Chin isn’t with me?” Taeyong asked, rubbing the sore spot where Hwan’s talons had dug into his shoulder. 

“If he were, you would’ve panicked. Just like you have every day for the last three years” Sicheng said, letting Hwan settle on his shoulder without a care. As if the five pound bird were as light as the feathers on its back. Taeyong pushed his lips out, pouting just a bit as he finally wandered toward the back counter. 

“I just don’t want Chin to become bird food” he mumbled, 

“Then do the smart thing and don’t bring him to work, like today” Sicheng said, Taeyong huffed as he went around the counter and shucked his backpack off. Sicheng was coming out of the aisle, grimoire still in hand and gaze still tracing the pages. Hwan hopped off his shoulder, swooping past Taeyong to sit high up on the grand clock behind him. 

“The only reason he isn’t with me is because he’s with Jungwoo, apparently Yunhee was lonely” Taeyong said, shoving his backpack beneath the counter along with his umbrella and jacket. Which left him in his rain boots, jeans, and big sweater. Sicheng made a noise, still reading his grimoire and apparently done with the conversation. Taeyong leaned on the counter, “what’re you reading?” he asked, Sicheng sighed and closed the heavy book with a thud. 

“Nothing, just following a hunch” he murmured, placing the book on the counter. “Taeil-hyung wants us to organize the back shelves on the second level, I guess one of the cursed dolls got out last night and made a mess” Sicheng said, Taeyong wrinkled his nose with a slight shiver. Like he mentioned before, Taeyong really didn’t like the second level. 

“Can’t I stay down here and organize the charms?” he asked, Sicheng raised a brow and Taeyong deflated. “Fine” he murmured, 

“I’ll stay as long as it takes to clean it up, with the rain I doubt we’ll get very many people through here” Sicheng said, which was a nice enough gesture considering Sicheng had real aspirations and responsibilities. He was already a very gifted witch, but he was also wicked smart. And he was putting it all to good use by going to school and doing internships or whatever it was you did when you wanted to be a real, law abiding necromancer. Needless to say, Sicheng was a pretty busy person. So the fact that he was offering to stay over time to help Taeyong clean up the back shelves on the second level, which he hates with a passion, was a very nice gesture. 

“Thanks” Taeyong sighed, slouching against the counter for a moment. But then a thought occurred to him, “which doll got out?” he asked, his mind already considering the worst options. Sicheng reached into his pocket, pulling his phone out. 

“I don’t remember, let me check” he said, Taeyong’s mind continued to cycle through the cursed dolls they had on display up there. He wasn’t a fan of any of them, but some of them were definitely worse than others. Sicheng grimaced suddenly, Taeyong’s stomach tightened. “It was Henry” Sicheng said, Taeyong became a bit nervous. Henry was probably the worst of their dolls. He was mean and creepy, he was also very sneaky. Taeyong really didn’t like him. 

“Did they-did they catch him?” Taeyong asked, Sicheng peered at his phone. 

“Uh, I guess they put out traps, but that’s about it” he murmured, “I haven’t seen or heard him since I’ve been here, maybe he got stuck in one up there” he said, putting his phone away. Taeyong wrapped his arms around himself, 

“Yeah, that’s because you probably scare him more than he scares you” he said, 

“Why would he be scared of me?” Sicheng asked, already heading toward the stairs. Taeyong had no choice but to follow, 

“Because you’re a big, scary necromancer. Henry is imbued with darker magic than the others, he probably smells it on you or something” Taeyong said, knowing his logic wasn’t all that sound. 

“I do not smell like dark magic” Sicheng said irritably, 

“Well, I don’t know! He’s creepy and he bit Ten the last time he got out” Taeyong said, trailing after Sicheng up the steps to the second level. 

“Your point?” Sicheng asked boredly as they reached the top of the stairs, 

“My point is that he doesn’t mess with you when you’re around, the last time I had to clean his case he showed me one of my worst nightmares” Taeyong still shivered at the memory, 

“You need to assert yourself Taeyong, that’s all” Sicheng said, the shelves on the second level were arranged in a similar fashion to the ones downstairs. But since they also had a library of sorts up here there were two long tables toward the back. Just before the dark section of their stock. 

High up on the wall of shrunken heads and dark charms was a row of about five glass cases. Sure enough, one of them was empty. And scattered across the floor were broken potions and torn up parchments, Henry had completely demolished the lower section of the wall. 

“Great” Sicheng murmured, already stooping to begin collecting the trash. 

“I’ll get a broom, and a mop...and the vacuum…” Taeyong sighed, moving down the wall toward the closet on the far end of the second level. On his way he spotted some of the traps Sicheng had mentioned, they were little blue x’s up and down the walk way. Taeyong avoided stepping on them, tip-toeing past a small cluster of them before reaching the closet. 

It was kind of dusty inside and when Taeyong tried to flip the light on it flickered and went out. Taeyong frowned, he’d have to tell Taeil about that. Luckily Taeyong could still see thanks to the lights behind him, so he went in and fumbled around, searching for the things they’d need. 

He found the broom and mop, but he couldn’t find the vacuum. He crouched, peering beneath one of the mid level shelves. Just as his knees met the ground a can of air freshener came rolling from beneath the shelf. Taeyong froze, watching it roll until it bumped into his knee. Immediately a tickle of fear ran up his spine. 

“U-uh...Sicheng” Taeyong called slowly, trying to stand up and keep his eyes on the shelf at the same time. “Sicheng, I think-” there was the skittering of wood on tile and then something came darting out from beneath the shelf, Taeyong shrieked. Their missing doll came charging at Taeyong, wooden teeth clacking together on an evil snicker. Taeyong jumped, knocking things off shelves and stumbling over his own feet as he sprinted out of the closet. 

“What’s-” Taeyong smacked into Sicheng with enough force to knock them both backwards and off their feet. However, Taeyong was slighter than Sicheng and ended up flat on his back. He groaned softly, “what is wrong with you? Why are you running?” Sicheng snapped, Taeyong lifted his head to answer but the clicking of wood and that awful snickering made Taeyong whip his head backward. Henry was more of a puppet than a doll, his jaw opening and closing as he scurried toward Taeyong. Taeyong couldn’t help another startled scream as he rolled over and scrambled toward Sicheng, 

“Get it, get it!” Taeyong shrieked, Sicheng got to his feet. Taeyong gripped the back of his pants, still kneeling and watching with wide eyes as Henry slowed to a stop a few feet away. Taeyong would have thought the little doll’s suit and tie cute if it weren’t for the fact that he was literally cursed. 

“He’s just a doll Taeyong” Sicheng said, pulling away to move toward Henry who’s jaw clicked a few times in warning. Taeyong got up once Sicheng was no longer there to guard him, ducking behind a nearby shelf instead. 

“He’s a cursed doll, that’s different” Taeyong argued, Sicheng reached down and grabbed Henry by the back of his little suit. He picked him up, dangling him in the air. Henry’s jaw clicked again, 

“He’s harmless” Sicheng said, Taeyong opened his mouth to argue again but Henry suddenly cackled, startling him. 

“I’ll eat your eyes!” Henry cackled, flailing and lunging toward Sicheng’s face, jaw snapping open and closed. Taeyong whimpered, hiding more of himself behind the shelf. Sicheng wasn’t so affected, with a bland look he walked toward Henry’s case. 

“Get me the ladder, would you? And a jar of those wood eating beatles” Sicheng said pointedly, smirking when Henry’s jaw chattered. Taeyong did so gladly. 

Sicheng put Henry back up into his case a little while later, making sure it was locked before coming down and helping Taeyong clean up. They had to be careful, Henry had somehow gotten into the more expensive and potent potions. Taeyong had already had his share of mishaps when it came to broken potion bottles. He still couldn’t stomach anything that tasted like cotton candy after the last time he accidentally got some random potion in his mouth. 

As they cleaned Taeyong struck up a conversation, or at least, he tried to. Holding a conversation with Sicheng was like trying to talk to a professor, kinda boring, a little difficult, and overall dissatisfying. Taeyong liked the guy, but he had so much going on in his head it was like there was no room for friendly conversation. 

It didn’t really matter, though. Sicheng’s shift had been over for about half an hour by the time they finished. No one had come in, Taeyong figured Sicheng was right. With the rain, not even the strangest of people would be out and about. 

“Try not to burn the place down” Sicheng said, pulling the hood of Taeyong’s jacket over his head. The skies had been clear when he’d come in, so he didn’t have anything to guard him from the rain. 

“I can’t promise anything” Taeyong said, settling behind the front counter. Hwan croaked as he came swooping down from the grand clock, Sicheng lifted his left shoulder a bit. Hwan perched on it with a flap of his wings, 

“See you Monday” Sicheng waved, pushing the doors open and heading out into the heavy rain fall. When those doors shut, closing out the sound, Taeyong was left to his thoughts. 

Three years ago, Taeyong remembered it like it was yesterday. He walked into this place, unassuming and curious. The lantern had been yellow when he came in, so all he found was a dusty old book shop. But when he left and the slight man, who Taeyong later came to know as Taeil, approached the doors of the shop, Taeyong watched the lantern turn blue. And when those doors opened, it was just as it was today. Grand and full of strange things. 

Taeyong grew up human. His heritage was hardly a blip on his radar. And that was fine, Taeyong wasn’t fond of all the nonsense that came with being a witch, but he found that he liked the kinds of things that went on in this place. Taeyong felt at home, more than he had amongst his friends at school growing up. Taeyong had found a place where the witch in him could flourish, even if it was minutely. Again, Taeyong wasn’t a huge fan of some of the magics he’d seen practiced. Either way, Taeyong got to meet a lot of interesting people. You never knew who would come walking in that door, after all. 

~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~

Blood. It’s sharp and harsh in Jaehyun’s nose. Almost overwhelming if the rain hadn’t begun washing it away, the damp earth soaking it up. The moon could hardly cast a shadow through the downpour, but Jaehyun could still see the outline of the body collapsed a few feet away. His body stung and ached with deep gashes and bites, tears of his fur and muscle. If it hadn’t been for the rain, Jaehyun wasn’t entirely sure he would’ve gotten away alive. If he didn’t get help soon, though, he wouldn’t be so lucky. 

It had been an accident, Jaehyun’s presence in the Northwest pack’s part of the woods. The rain had washed away the trails and scents, he’d lost his way after leaving the pack house. It was just his luck that one of their scouts had been out and about. Jaehyun could think of the repercussions of killing him later, he needed to get back to the house. He needed help. 

Jaehyun could feel the tears in his skin, in his muscle. He limped away from the body of the Northwest wolf, teeth gritted and jaw tight with pain. Each step was excruciating, blood leaking from his wounds and washing through his fur with the rain. He tried to hike up the pass, but it was made slick by the rain and mud. He scrambled when he slid, snarling at the pain that lanced through him when he hit the ground. Jaehyun could hardly see or breathe now, the rain and his wounds were too much. He could hardly stand it in this form, so he couldn’t possibly change. It would kill him at this point. 

Jaehyun rolled onto his feet, trembling as he got up and tried the hill once more. He dug his claws into the mud, growling as he hauled himself up and up. Once he reached flat ground he collapsed again, catching his breath and letting the ache settle in his bones. How was he going to make it all the way back home like this? He didn’t have a choice, he supposed. So with a groan Jaehyun climbed to his feet and forced himself through the forest. 

It was dense and heavily wooded, but before long Jaehyun saw a light. 

The city, an empty street, and rows of shops. He’d gone in the wrong direction. Jaehyun growled to himself, way to go. Maybe if he could sustain a shift he could just get someone to help him. If he could call Johnny or Yuta. Anyone, really. He would be okay. He could do this...Jaehyun stalked into the city with a heavy limp, dark eyes alight in the glow of the streetlights. He could do this.

Taeyong yawned as he finished closing up shop. It had been the quietest night to date, which was fine by him. But it had been, admittedly, a little boring. He really wished he’d had Chin with him, at least he would’ve had someone to talk to. Fate wasn’t so kind, though. Taeyong would think twice the next time Jungwoo asked for a playdate.

Either way, the lights were off on the second level and the ones on the lower level weren’t set low like usual. The shop was closed on Sunday’s, so Taeyong had to shut all the lights off in anticipation. It was about four a.m. and Taeyong was getting tired too. The shop hours were kind of bizarre, but they had to be considering the demographic they served. During the day, the shop was run by Taeil and Ten. A dusty old book store. Then Sicheng and Taeyong, or Ten on occasion, ran the shop at night. It was safer that way, usually. Taeil was human and Ten was a gypsy, which was still technically human. Sicheng and Taeyong were witches by descent. Even if Taeyong wasn’t all that witchy. In fact, he was half sure Ten would have made a better witch than Taeyong. He certainly knew more about his heritage than Taeyong. 

Either way, from about eight in the morning to eight at night the shop was mundane and human. From at night to four in the morning it wasn’t all that mundane. Taeyong had acclimated to the weird schedule pretty well, and he was right on time as he grabbed his umbrella and backpack. He checked his phone briefly and found a text from Ten, Taeyong wandered toward the door as he read it. 

‘Tennis ball: call me when ur off’ 

‘Yongie: i’m off, why do i have to call u?’ 

Taeyong responded as he reached the door, fumbling for the handle before getting a grip on it. He pulled it open, finding that the rain had more or less passed. Though the sound of water falling from awnings and gutters was fairly loud around Taeyong as he stepped onto the stoop and turned around to lock the door. His phone buzzed just as he was putting the keys in the door, Taeyong paused to check it. 

‘Tennis ball: because i said so’ 

Taeyong rolled his eyes, what was he even doing up at this hour? With a sigh Taeyong locked the door and turned around, gaze on his phone screen. However, the sound of scraping and a loud huff of air drew Taeyong’s attention. He glanced around, finding the street empty. But just around the corner, someone was dragging themself into the alley. There was a high whine, Taeyong couldn’t even tell if it was a person or an animal from where he stood. He was cautious either way. He stepped down the stairs carefully, listening for any sign that it was in fact an animal that was hiding in the alley. There was nothing but labored breathing, Taeyong swallowed nervously. He glanced at his phone, dialing Ten quickly. He paused on the sidewalk, the glow of a street light shining on him. 

“About time, are you on your way home?” Ten said as soon as he picked up, 

“Uh, kinda...what are the odds that a bear wandered into the city?” Taeyong asked, inching closer to the alley. Once he could peer in he could see something large slouched by the dumpster that belonged to the bakery next door. The back light was out, it seemed. All Taeyong could see was a silhouette and not much else. 

“What? A bear?” Ten said, 

“Mm, maybe not a bear” Taeyong murmured, moving closer now that his curiosity was getting the best of him. Whatever it was, it had its back to him. 

“Literally what are you talking about?” Ten asked, exasperated. 

“There’s something in the alley by the shop, I’m trying to figure out if I should call the cops or animal control” Taeyong explained, 

“What? Go home, Yong-ah!” Ten snapped, 

“But what if it’s hurt?” Taeyong murmured, now at the edge of the alley and squinting hard at the silhouette. 

“Then natural selection will have done its job, you’re going to get mauled and I’m not going to tell you I told you so...well, I probably will. But that isn’t the point! Will you just-” Ten was still talking, Taeyong had stopped listening. He moved closer to whatever had curled up by the dumpster. From this distance Taeyong could see fur and a broad back, all grey. The creature shifted, Taeyong froze and almost bolted as the creature lifted itself. Instead of turning on Taeyong, like he wholeheartedly expected it to, the creature collapsed. Taeyong jolted, unsure what to do as it sprawled on the wet pavement. “-ong-ah!” Ten was yelling now, Taeyong put his phone back to his ear. 

“Huh?” Taeyong answered smartly, Ten huffed. 

“Were you even listening? What is going on over there?” he asked, sounding peeved and worried all at once in true Ten fashion. 

“It collapsed, I think it’s hurt or sick” Taeyong said, 

“What is it?” Ten asked, 

“Let’s find out” Taeyong murmured, he took his phone from his ear and swiped down to turn on his flashlight. With a tap on his screen the light flooded the alley and illuminated the creature. Taeyong sucked in a sharp breath, his umbrella falling from his hand. The grey fur was mottled and bloody in places, it was even missing in others. Taeyong could even see a full set of teeth marks on its side, bloody and deep. 

A wolf. A large, grey wolf. It was a little bigger than half the dumpster, which was...big. Taeyong could hear Ten calling his name through his phone, but Taeyong couldn’t stop staring at the wolf. He shifted on his feet, moving his light up the wolf’s body to its face. Its muzzle was speckled with blood, jagged teeth exposed as it struggled to breathe. And its eye- 

“Ah!” Taeyong jumped back, startled at the single dark eye peering at him. The wolf didn’t make a move, it just kept breathing and staring. 

“What happened!?” Ten yelled, Taeyong put him on speaker but turned the volume down a bit. 

“I-I think it’s a uh, it’s a wolf but it’s huge” Taeyong murmured, still surveying the wolf and its wounds.

“What!?” Ten exploded, “leave it there and call animal control!” he said, 

“Alright, alright, sheesh” Taeyong mumbled, “I’ll call you back” he said, going to hang up. 

“Don’t forget!” Ten yelped just before Taeyong tapped ‘end call’. Then his attention was drawn back to the wolf, the wolf that was still staring at him. 

“O-okay um...I’m just gonna call animal control and-” the wolf growled, making fear race up Taeyong’s spine. It shifted, dragging itself to his feet. Taeyong froze, staring owlishly as the wolf limped in a half circle to face Taeyong. Its side was matted with blood, fresh blood. It tried to move toward Taeyong, but the moment it moved its legs gave way. And Taeyong was glad, because he wasn’t so sure he could outrun a wolf. Injured or not. However, the wolf hit the ground heavily, a whine leaving its throat. The fear was still very present, so was a sense of pity. “I need to get you some help” Taeyong whispered, opening the search on his phone. Another whine left the wolf, Taeyong peered at it. The wolf shifted its head, a back and forth motion as it continued to whine almost like a dog. Taeyong squinted a bit, he edged just a bit closer. “Can you understand me?” he asked, the wolf snuffed loudly and then groaned. And something clicked. The wolf was way too big for a normal wolf, and it understood what Taeyong was saying. “You’re a werewolf!” Taeyong gasped, the wolf groaned and let its head fall over in a ‘about time’ sort of gesture. “What do-what do I do? Oh my gosh” Taeyong was panicking a little, he’d never met a werewolf before. He’d read about them, but being face to face with one with a different experience. Taeyong really didn’t know what to do, it was bloody and hurt. Who were you supposed to call in a situation like this? Certainly not human animal control. 

Taeyong pulled on his sweater sleeves, brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what he could do to help. He couldn’t just leave it here. Maybe if he could get it somewhere it could rest- 

Something dripped onto Taeyong’s cheek, when he glanced up he found the rain picking up again. 

“Oh no” Taeyong murmured, he needed to get it out of the rain before it really started coming down. But his own apartment was so far away...Taeyong glanced back out at the street. The shop, however… “Okay, I have a place you can hide for the night to heal, can you move?” Taeyong asked, crouching a bit to be at eye level. The wolf made a noise in its throat and slowly dragged itself up, Taeyong stood and backed up a ways. It took a few false starts, but the wolf was able to pace toward Taeyong. And in turn, Taeyong moved out onto the street. He checked quickly for any passerby, luckily the promise of more rain had kept people off the street. “This way” Taeyong beckoned the wolf around the corner, it took the wolf some time but it was able to follow Taeyong down to the shop stoop. Taeyong hurried up the steps, wanting to get the wolf out of sight as quickly as possible. The consequences of his actions would have to be looked over later, but right then Taeyong found his keys still in the lock. So he opened the door and waited for the wolf to make its way up the steps. 

It was dark inside but Taeyong didn’t risk turning the lights on just yet. He waited, keeping his distance still as the wolf came ambling through the door. Its tongue lolled out, its breathing far more labored than it had been moments ago. And once it was far enough into the shop Taeyong moved toward the door, closing it and feeling along the wall beside it for the master light switch. Once he found it, he flipped it on, squinting as light flooded the lower level. 

In the light the wolf was much bigger and much more intimidating. Taeyong felt his mouth dry a bit as the wolf lowered itself to the ground, massive chest heaving. At the sight of all its wounds and the red streaks now on the carpet, Taeyong remembered where he was. He was at work, at the shop. The shop that had plenty of healing potions sitting around. Taeyong would really, really have to start making a list of the repercussions later. For now, he scurried off into the maze of shelves. 

If he could just find something to stop the bleeding, then everything would be okay. Right? Yeah, the wolf would live and amble off back to his pack tomorrow before Taeil could find him here. Taeyong stopped at a shelf of salves, the whole section smelled like a medicine cabinet. 

“Burns...blights...rashes...warts….aha” Taeyong grabbed a bottle of skin sewing potion, it would close up his wounds no problem. He ran back through the aisles until he found the wolf again, still lying on the floor. Bleeding into the rug, unfortunately. “Um, I’m gonna put this on your wounds, it’ll help close them up and stop the bleeding” Taeyong explained, approaching cautiously. The wolf turned its large head, watching Taeyong tiredly. 

There was a deep, red stain on the main rug now. Taeyong started rambling off the consequences. 

“I could lose my job if Taeil finds him here, if I lose my job, I’ll lose my apartment. If I lose my apartment, I’ll have to move...into a box” Taeyong murmured to himself, lowering himself beside the wolf and twisting the cap off the potion. “I wouldn’t be able to face my friends again, Doyoung would yell at me...Jungwoo would be really sad and Ten would be really angry” he continued, he turned the bottle over and squeezed some of the gooey potion onto his hand. He put the bottle aside and began rubbing his hands together, the texture was gross but this was a necessary step. “I would go hungry, so would Chin...oh no, Chin” Taeyong’s eyes widened a bit in horror at the prospect of his faithful companion starving to death, “I’d have to sell him to the highest bidder, give him a good home” Taeyong’s eyes began to well up, “this is gonna hurt. okay? Just for a minute” he sniffed, reaching toward the bite marks on the wolf’s back. 

Taeyong’s touches were tentative, but he needed to rub the potion in deep for it to work. He muttered apology after apology as he pressed, the wolf growling and gnashing its teeth. The only reason Taeyong didn’t stop was because the wolf turned away from him to do so, its teeth snapping at air and its body tensing. Taeyong could feel the muscles shifting, tensing and loosening with each of Taeyong’s motions. 

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” Taeyong asked, wiping his teary eyes with his wrist once he was done with the visible wounds. The wolf made a noise in its throat and turned over, exposing the side of its torso. Taeyong sucked in a breath, the deep gash in its stomach had to be responsible for the blood stains on the carpet. Taeyong poured more potion into his hands and rubbed them together, and with another soft apology he pressed his hands against the gash. The wolf snarled, writhing beneath Taeyong’s hands. But he kept on going, rubbing the potion into the wound until it was all pink, the bleeding slowing. 

Taeyong pulled back, peering at his hands. They were covered in blood and the glitter from the potion. He felt a shiver of nausea roll through him. 

The sudden chime of the clock startled Taeyong, he glanced at the time and murmured a curse. 

“I have to go, the shop is closed tomorrow so you can stay and rest. I’ll be back around the afternoon to see how you’re doing” he said, getting to his feet and grimacing at the floor. He’d also have to bring a stain remover for the rug. Taeyong turned toward the door and paused, he felt kind of bad just leaving him there on his own. So he shimmied his backpack off and dug around inside, he found his sketchbook and a pen. He flipped it open and scribbled his number down, tearing the page out and leaning down to tuck it just beside the wolf’s head. So he could see it, “if you’re able to leave before I’m back, you can call me. I’ll come lock up after you...or if you need something” he mumbled the last part, shoving his notebook away and putting his backpack back on. “Oh, my name's Taeyong, just so you know. And I um, I hope you get better soon though. Bye” he waved awkwardly before jogging to the shop door, “I’m going to turn the lights off, just a heads up” Taeyong called, reaching for the switch. 

Once the lights were off and the door was locked again, Taeyong paused on the stoop. It was pouring rain again and Taeyong realized he’d left his umbrella in the alley. So with a sigh Taeyong ducked into the rain and hopped down onto the sidewalk, scurrying into the alley. Sure enough, his umbrella was still on the ground. He stooped to pick it up and realized he still had blood on his hands. He tipped his head back, squinting into the rain. Well, that would work. Taeyong tucked his umbrella under his arm and held his hands out, cupping them and letting rain water fill them. Then he scrubbed his hands together, scratching the blood on his palms. Once it was washed away Taeyong shook his umbrella out and swept it over his head. It was already five in the morning and the sun was making the sky a soft grey in the distance. Taeyong turned back out of the alley and headed in the direction of home. 

A werewolf...of all the strange things for Taeyong to stumble upon. A werewolf was certainly new. Taeyong almost wondered who lived under that fur, maybe if he was lucky enough he’d get to find out.


	2. Hiatus

I'm going to be stepping away from this fic for the time being, I'm so sorry to anyone that genuinely enjoyed this! I may revisit it sometime in the future, but for now, I have a few other things I have in the works that I'd like to focus on. Thank you for your support, you're all very sweet to me and I appreciate it. All my love!


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